National
Parties mobilise sentries to guard ballot boxes
Besides security personnel from Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police, party cadres are also guarding the ballot boxes that have been kept at the office of the Chief Election Officer in Rolpa.Kashiram Dangi
Besides security personnel from Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police, party cadres are also guarding the ballot boxes that have been kept at the office of the Chief Election Officer in Rolpa.
The round-the-clock sentries of the parties are there to make sure no one enters the four rooms of the office where the ballot boxes have been kept. The first phase of elections for federal parliament and provincial assembly was held in the district on November 26. With the elections over, the parties are of the view that there are threats to the safety of ballot boxes that the members of the security agencies alone cannot defend.
Four-hundred-and-eighty sealed ballot boxes have been kept inside the four rooms of the office. The padlocks to these rooms too have been sealed and fitted with sirens.
Chief District Officer Dijan Bhattarai said they have set-up tents for the party activists guarding the ballot boxes.
“The party activists demanded that they too should be able to guard the ballot boxes. As long as they themselves make no trouble, we are happy to oblige. There has been no problem from them so far,” he said.
Kishor Acharya, officiating district president of Nepali Congress, said they have instructed their party supporters to guard the ballot boxes with an agreement with other parties.
Like NC, the supporters of left alliance are also guarding the ballot boxes. Twelve party supporters are staying in two tents that have been set-up in the election office premises. Surendra Gharti Magar, district chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), said they have been guarding the ballot boxes to prevent any untoward situation.
Meanwhile, the District Security Committee and the Office of the Chief Election Officer have planned to install close-circuit cameras at the vote-counting centre. There were nine candidates in the federal parliament and provincial elections race from Rolpa.
According to the election office, there were 127, 629 registered voters in the district. The local administration had deployed around 4,000 security personnel throughout the district to ensure free and fair voting.